


Tightrope

by Kleiol



Category: Backstage (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, F/M, gay Sasha, is this confusing, tell me if this is confusing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-12
Updated: 2016-07-12
Packaged: 2018-07-23 01:47:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7461801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kleiol/pseuds/Kleiol
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ballerina’s walk as if they are on a tightrope, Carly noticed. Rather tight, their footfalls coming slowly but firmly down, and there seemed to be a slight hesitance before each step.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tightrope

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and please leave a comment and tell me if this is confusing and follow me on tumblr @bvckstagehoe and @destiia!

Ballerina’s walk as if they are on a tightrope, Carly noticed. Rather tight, their footfalls coming slowly but firmly down, and there seemed to be a slight hesitance before each step. Carly watched her classmates walking from the corner of her eye while she stretched before class officially began. She watched them, with their silent tight-rope esque walks, settle gracefully down before they too began to stretch. 

Carly’s attention drifted back to Vanessa, who was talking eagerly about something probably to get Carly’s mind off of her recent fallout with Sasha-

Who’d come walking in just then.

Carly felt a flare of irritation bubble up inside of her at the calm look on his face as he set his things down.She’d gotten used to the slightly apprehensive look on his face whenever he walked in, his eyes darting to hers with thinly concealed uneasiness. To anyone else, he’d looked utterly calm. But Carly had known, because she’d come to find that she knew him almost as well as Vanessa. Or she’d thought she did. 

Now, though, he really did look indifferent, and Carly took that to mean he’d finally given up his quest to re-befriend her. Good. She didn’t want to be friends with people who seemed like they’d like her, but didn’t, and then failed to explain why other than a weak, “I’m not-.” 

She didn’t give him a chance to explain, a voice sounding remarkably like her mother said, and then: now it’s too late. 

She swatted the voice away. 

Her hand moved too, physically, swatting the thought away, and Sasha stopped right in front of her, looking at her in surprise, with a twinkle of excitement in his eye. Carly said nothing, just snapped her eyes downward. Sasha continued walking to the place where he planned to stretch, not making an effort to speak, his resolve set to ride out this ‘let the people you love come to you eventually’ thing, and Carly’s eyes were drawn to his feet. 

He didn’t walk like everyone else. It was rather-unique. He walked like he was walking on water, and his feet happened to make a soft noise with every step, unlike the silent-ness of her, Vanessa, and the rest of their classmates. It was wholly  _ him _ ,  nonconforming, and loud, if only compared to those around him. Although Sasha was pretty loud by himself. 

Carly sighed, shoving the fondness growing in her chest away as she turned to look back at Vanessa, who was staring at her. Carly raised her eyebrows, and Vanessa raised hers back. Carly rolled her eyes. 

“What, Vee?” 

“You need to go over to him, and make-up already! He’s waiting for you now, you know.” 

Carly hadn’t known. 

“What?” 

Vanessa sighed, and rolled her eyes affectionately, “I  _ know  _ you think that he’s given up on you now- don’t look at me like that- but he hasn’t. I just think he’s realised that you’re still upset and you need some time to come back to him on your own.” 

Carly raised her eyebrows again, bring her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, “If you know that I need to come back to him on my own, then why are you telling me to go over to him  _ now.”  _

“Because,” Vanessa said, “I don’t think you’ll be to move past this until you know  _ why _ he rejected you.” 

And really that was it. 

“I think that you’re more upset that you didn’t know him as well as you thought you did. That you knew he was going to kiss you back, and when he didn’t you felt like he was keeping something from you. I know you, Cee. You’re too good to be this upset that someone didn’t like you back.” 

And with that, Helsweel entered, clapped her hands unceremoniously, and class began. 

; 

 

Carly sat at lunch, listening to Jenna and Vanessa and Angeline talk about the latest in pop culture and school gossip, while she mindlessly ate and stared toward the ground. She had apparently found a new hobby: watching feet. It kept her mind busy while she was trying not to think about the one-sided conversation that morning with Vanessa. 

She’d been so busy hanging onto her her anger and her hurt that she didn’t stop to think that it could’ve been unfounded. Because,  _ really,  _ she  _ wasn’t  _ the type to get upset that someone didn’t like her, she’d just move on, let it roll right off her shoulders, and that would be that. That’s how she faced all her problems, she’d never let anything linger for too long because she had a much greater focus: advancing her skills in ballet. The only time she could think of holding grudges was when it came to Vanessa, but, Vanessa was a special kind of frustrating.

 

Carly was taken abruptly out of her thoughts as her mind registered a certain kind of walk, like walking on water, and she looked up to see Sasha walking towards the dance studio, a small grin on his face and a slightly giddy bounce to his step and the air around him. But it was Sasha, and she found him usually smiling. 

At her. 

Carly groaned and then sneezed and then hiccuped and put her head into her hands, hearing her friends’ conversation cease for a moment until Vanessa coaxed them into talking again. 

What Vanessa had said rose into her mind again, crowding, and she felt her head begin to hurt, a dull push in the center of her forehead, making her frown before she sighed. She didn’t know if her feelings were real, if she was mad at him for the rejection or if she was just mad at at him for seemingly keeping something from her. 

So she got up, grabbing her stuff and her half-eaten lunch and waving goodbye to Vee, and then followed Sasha to the studio. 

; 

 

It made sense, Carly thought, as she peeked in the door of the studio. There was Sasha, and there was Matt, and they were holding hands and leaning against the mirror, and Sasha had a small smile, and pink dusting his cheeks and Carly’s heart clenched. It made sense, she thought again, closing the door softly and then leaning on it as she bit her lip.  And then, she thought that Vanessa was right, but Carly definitely had feelings for him or she wouldn’t be feeling the ache in her chest. But she also feeling betrayed that Sasha hasn’t told her this  _ very important fact  _ about himself, although it didn’t overwhelm the aforementioned feeling. 

It made sense. 

She sucked in a breath, and painted a smile on her face as she walked aimlessly. She knew she must’ve looked creepy, but she just needed a smile right now, because she wanted to be happy for Sasha. He had someone, he’d looked happy, carefree, and Matt had been staring at him so lovingly, and she didn’t know how she didn’t see it before. Maybe they’d hidden it really well.  

Someday, not soon, definitely not soon, she would apologize to him, let him explain, tease him a bit, and then they would move on. Right now, though, she needed a moment to recover. 

And then tell Vanessa that Sasha and Matt smudged up the mirror in the studio during lunch.

And that would be a start. 


End file.
